Delighted Diego
“Delighted Diego”, that’s how his mom had described his behaviour since this morning. He loved that word. Yes, he was delighted, and he had a reason to be. He has just turned one and it was his birthday. Birthday is the best day ever, Diego declared.
Since the time he was born, Diego was the darling of the community. He was smiling and chirpy all day. He spread warmth and cheer around. He helped the other moms and dads even when their offspring didn’t. His dad was big but was described as a gentle giant. Diego had decided he would be a gentle giant too when he grew up.
The last few months had been gloomy for their locality and the general world around them. There were gatherings of adults that took place in secret which meant, Diego and his friends couldn’t participate. But that also meant, less adult supervision during these meetings and he explored the area with his friends. The kids noticed the sky was darker than usual and hence had to return home earlier than they used to do.
They tried a few times to eavesdrop on the conversation of the elders and heard words like climate change, gloom, doomsday, etc. The adults were discussing the deterioration of plant and animal life, the volcanic ash in the sky which made the sky darker than usual, and the general changes in the environment over the last few decades. They also reminisced of the earlier world that was described as breathtakingly beautiful and peaceful by their ancestors.
They didn’t know the meaning of some of the words and dismissed them as just adult talk. But one thing was sure, there was something wrong that the elders weren't sharing with the kids yet.
By the evening of his birthday, there was panic all around. The birds were up in the air. The animals were making loud noises and running all around. Diego’s instincts told him to react the same way, but his mom and dad had directed the entire community to gather at the large clearing in the center of the area.
There was sadness and despair all around. “It is the end of the world”, someone shouted. Diego couldn’t believe it. Nor didn’t he want to. It was his birthday. The world can’t end today. He looked up at his two favourite people in the world. They were having their arms around him in a lovely embrace. There was a giant ball of fire in the sky that seemed to be coming towards them at incredible speed. His dad told him to close his eyes and remember the best moment of his life. As Diego did that, he heard the loudest noise ever and then everything blacked out.
His birthday was the day the world ended 66 million years ago. But that ending was the beginning of this brand-new world. Dinosaur Diego would be ‘delighted’ to know that he shares his birthday with the new world.
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